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A34
business
Sunday Guardian www.guardian.co.tt June 2, 2013
WASHINGTON---A
record number of
American women are
now the sole or primary
breadwinners in their
families, a sign of the
rising influence of
working mothers, a new
study finds.
Mothers now keep
finances afloat in 40 per
cent of households with
children, up from just 11
per cent in 1960.
While most of these
families are headed by
single mothers, a grow-
ing number are married
mothers who bring in
more income than their
husbands, according to
a study released by the
Pew Research Center.
As the numbers have
shifted, however, public
attitudes have remained
mixed regarding the
impact of working
mothers on families.
People are not at all sure
that it s a good thing.
Demographers say the
change is all but irre-
versible and is likely to
bring added attention to
childcare policies as well
as government safety
nets for vulnerable fam-
ilies.
"This change is just
another milestone in the
dramatic transformation
we have seen in family
structure and family
dynamics over the past
50 years or so," said Kim
Parker, associate director
with the Pew Social &
Demographic Trends
Project.
"Women s roles have
changed, marriage rates
have declined---the fam-
ily looks a lot different
than it used to. The rise
of breadwinner moms
highlights the fact that,
not only are more moth-
ers balancing work and
family these days, but
the economic contribu-
tions mothers are mak-
ing to their households
have grown immensely."
The trend is being
driven mostly by long-
term demographic
changes, including higher
rates of education and
labour force participation
dating back to the 1960s
women s movement.
Today, women are more
likely than men to hold
bachelor s degrees, and
they make up nearly
half---47 per cent---of the
American workforce.
But recent changes in
the economy, too, have
played a part. Big job
losses in manufacturing
and construction, fields
that used to provide high
pay to a mostly male
workforce, have lifted the
relative earnings of mar-
ried women, even among
those in mid-level posi-
tions such as teachers,
nurses or administrators.
The jump in working
women has been espe-
cially prominent among
those who are mothers---
from 37 per cent in 1968
to 65 per cent in 2011---
reflecting in part increas-
es for those who went
looking for jobs to lift
sagging family income
after the recent reces-
sion.
At the same time,
marriage rates have fallen
to record lows. Forty per
cent of births now occur
out of wedlock, leading
to a rise in single-mother
households. Many of
these mothers are low-
income with low educa-
tion, and more likely to
be black or Hispanic.
In all, 13.7 million US
households with children
under age 18 now include
mothers who are the
main breadwinners. Of
those, 5.1 million, or 37
per cent, are married,
while 8.6 million, or 63
per cent are single. The
income gap between the
families is large---
$80,000 in median fam-
ily income for married
couples vs $23,000 for
single mothers.
Both groups of bread-
winner moms---married
and unmarried---have
grown sharply.
Among all US house-
holds with children, the
share of married bread-
winner moms has
jumped from 4 per cent
in 1960 to 15 per cent in
2011. For single mothers,
the share has increased
from 7 per cent to 25 per
cent.
How does the general
public feel about that?
While roughly 79 per
cent of Americans reject
the notion that women
Members of Japan Fisheries Co-operatives march with placards during their demonstration in Tokyo.
About 2,500 protesters across the nation demanded the government to protect Japan's fishing industry
suffering from surging fuel cost because of weaker Japanese yen that hampers their fishing operation.
AP PHOTO
should return to their tra-
ditional roles, only 21 per
cent of those polled said
the trend of more moth-
ers of young children
working outside the
home is a good thing for
society, according to the
Pew survey.
Roughly three in four
adults said the increasing
number of women work-
ing for pay has made it
harder for parents to raise
children.
Andrew Cherlin, a
professor of sociology
and public policy at Johns
Hopkins University, said
that to his surprise public
attitudes toward working
mothers have changed
very little over the years.
He predicts the growing
numbers will lead to a
growing constituency
among women in favour
of family-friendly work
policies such as paid
family leave, as well as
safety net policies such
as food stamps or child
care support for single
mothers.
"Many of our work-
places and schools still
follow a male-breadwin-
ner model, assuming that
the wives are at home to
take care of child care
needs," he said. "Until we
realise that the bread-
winner-homemaker
marriage will never again
be the norm, we won t
provide working parents
with the support they
need."
The Pew study is
based on an analysis of
census data as of 2011,
the latest available, as
well as interviews with
1,003 adults by cellphone
or landline from April 25
to 28. The Pew poll has
a margin of error of plus
or minus 3.5 percentage
points. (AP)
Mothers now
top earners in
US households
FISH INDUSTRY SUFFERING